Companies should pay attention to what motivates people to glom onto an online community inside and outside the corporate walls, Bughin says, because it isn’t usually financial gain. At a cable company McKinsey studied, more than half the employees who contributed to an internal wiki did it to build their own reputations and because they identified with the community, he says. Only 20 percent did it for the chance to earn a bonus.

Next, from the dating sites, Martell learned that when you appeal to people’s vanity you not only please them but you keep them around.

What we see at Dell is that people are contributing because they have a view or opinion they want to voice. They want to make Dell a better place and impact the business.

Companies should pay attention to what motivates people to glom onto an online community inside and outside the corporate walls, Bughin says, because it isn’t usually financial gain. At a cable company McKinsey studied, more than half the employees who contributed to an internal wiki did it to build their own reputations and because they identified with the community, he says. Only 20 percent did it for the chance to earn a bonus.

Next, from the dating sites, Martell learned that when you appeal to people’s vanity you not only please them but you keep them around.

What we see at Dell is that people are contributing because they have a view or opinion they want to voice. They want to make Dell a better place and impact the business.

I now regard Direct TV as the lowest form of operator in the US. Here is the rub… They want us to pay them $250 for a:

Contract they say we have signed but can’t produce or show

No ability to transfer the service when we move States

Service they can’t install or deliver. Their installers have arrived twice at our house, wandered about, and said they need more expertise to install. They refuse to provide that expertise though.

All this after we have been a happy, super premium customer for over five years. Rather than recognize their issues and work with us, they just want the $250 dollars.

The irony of all this is that I really want their programming. But their business practices are so repulsive I’ll never use them again. Moreover, I’ll make it my mission to ensure as few people as possible sign with DirectTV.

In my book, they are a model for how to turn a loyal and passionate customer into one that despises your very existence. What company would forgo the potential of thousands of dollars of revenue for $250? My only conclusion can be that they are desperate. Time to sell your stock!